Semiconductor components, e.g. diodes, transistors, thyristors, etc. in semiconductor technology are conventionally produced by means of fundamental processes based essentially on a sequence of layering and patterning and additionally on doping and annealing. It can be difficult here to choose suitable materials for the structures of a semiconductor component that are respectively to be produced, or to find suitable material combinations for the respective processes, such that the semiconductor component satisfies the respective requirements. During the processing of a semiconductor component, besides the electrical properties to be achieved, for example, further requirements may also be relevant, such as, for example, said component's fail-safety, price, or else generally the process yield of the production process.
Conventionally, during the processing of a semiconductor component, a layer can be wholly or partly removed by means of etching. This can be effected for example by means of wet-chemical etching, reactive ion etching, etc. In this case, however, the respectively remaining surface of a layer after etching may be rough or have etching damage (e.g. undesired etching pits). Various embodiments are based, for example, on providing a process sequence for partly or completely removing a layer, which process sequence does not require an etching method for removing the layer.
Conventionally, during the processing of a semiconductor component, a layer can be partly removed, e.g. patterned, by said layer being covered by means of a patterned mask, for example, and then being partly removed by means of etching in accordance with the patterned mask. A patterned mask (e.g. hard mask or resist mask) can be produced by means of photolithography. Various embodiments are based, for example, on providing a process sequence for partly removing a layer, which process sequence does not require an etching method for removing the layer and is simultaneously self-aligning (that is to say that said process sequence does not require a patterned mask for partly removing the layer).